Anathema
by Chloe M. Kennedy
Summary: It was only a mission, and one that burned through Itachi's memories for the longest time. If he were given the option, he would go back in time and change everything. But what happens when one changes the timeline of one of the most infamous periods of the history of Konoha? Rated M. Itachi/Sakura; Sasuke/Naruto. AU.


A/N: This story began in 2008, but I just found it and decided to try to finish it. This story is considered AU. Characters do not belong to me. Enjoy!

* * *

**Prologue: The Sharingan's Deadly Secret**

Itachi Uchiha ran swiftly and discreetly through the treetops. He could hear the rustling of leaves a considerable distance behind him.

_Two of them_, thought the nearly 14-year-old shinobi as he continued pacing ahead, _I can easily take care of them. _

The young Uchiha activated his Sharingan, waiting for the appropriate moment to strike.

* * *

"Only use the Mangekyo Sharingan when necessary," spoke an older, dark headed shinobi as he looked down at the younger, teenage boy sitting before him.

"If you use it too often, you will risk losing your eyesight at a young age. Do you understand me, Itachi-kun?"

Itachi nodded, "Yes, sensei."

"Good," continued the man as he smiled and ruffled up Itachi's long, dark tresses, "Now, the Mangekyo has three distinct jutsu that come upon acquiring it. They are Amaterasu, Tsukiyomi, and Susanoo. The only ones you need to know of, as well as the least taxing of the three are Amaterasu and Tsukiyomi.

"Having seen you spar rather frequently with Shisui, I have noticed that you are particularly skilled in genjutsu, probably even more so than most of the Uchiha clan. By possessing the Mangekyo Sharingan, you can achieve higher status within the clan, maybe even as soon as within a few years. Follow me so far?"

Itachi nodded in response, carefully taking in every word being said by his sensei.

"I must say one other thing, Itachi-kun. There is only one known way to obtain this final and ultimate form of the Sharingan."

Itachi's eyes widened ever so slightly.

"And how does one obtain the Mangekyo Sharingan, Madara-sensei?"

Madara noticed the look upon Itachi's face and smirked ever so slightly.

"I cannot tell you that directly, Itachi- kun. You have to figure that on your own and therefore plan accordingly."

Itachi lowered his head, clearly crestfallen.

"But I will tell you one thing," continued Madara. Itachi looked back up at the older Uchiha, their eyes meeting.

"Ready to listen?" asked Madara. Itachi nodded.

"The scroll containing all the secrets pertaining to both the Sharingan and the Uchiha clan is in the Uchiha hideout. Upon entering, to the right of the entrance, somewhere along the wall, there will be a slightly loosened tile. Once you locate that tile, remove it. The scroll should be in there. When you have the scroll in your possession, unroll it and read the entire thing, studying it very carefully. What you seek will be at the end. If you choose to acquire the Mangekyo Sharingan afterwards, please come and see me."

Itachi nodded as he rose to his feet. He bowed low to the elder Uchiha and left the room.

* * *

Itachi silently entered the famed Uchiha hideout, managing to dodge any and all chakra- based traps set up by the various elders. The young shinobi moved to the right as soon as he entered the large meeting hall and began to search for the loosened tile that Madara had mentioned.

Itachi found the tile hidden in the furthest corner of the hall. He got down to his knees and slowly began removing the tile. Once removed, Itachi sat the tile aside gently and placed his hand into the rather tiny hole, pulling out a dusty, yellowed tinted scroll. The young shinobi placed the scroll carefully into his waist pouch, hiding it among his other scrolls, and placed the tile back in its rightful place. Itachi rose to his feet and proceeded to leave the meeting hall, scroll carefully hidden from view.

* * *

"Niisan!" screamed Sasuke, "Niisan! Where are you?"

Itachi looked up from cleaning his weapons to find his seven-year-old brother running toward his direction. Itachi smiled as Sasuke plopped down next to his elder brother.

"Wanna play with me?" asked Sasuke.

"I can't right now, Sasuke," replied Itachi, holding up his kunai and a dirty, old rag, "Otousan said I had to clean my weapons for my upcoming mission next week."

Sasuke looked up at Itachi, sticking out his tongue at the older boy.

"But that's next week, Niisan!"

"Yes, I know, but Otousan said that my success on this mission determines my future standing with the elders."

"Standing?" asked Sasuke. Itachi noticed that Sasuke was clearly confused by the tone of his voice. Itachi didn't expect anything less from a child Sasuke's age.

"Otousan says that I am the heir of the Uchiha clan. If this mission is successful, then the elders will see that I am a leader, thus making me well on my way."

"Oh!" exclaimed Sasuke. Itachi laughed and ruffled Sasuke's short, dark locks.

"Help me out here and I promise that we will go play at the park later."

"Okay!" shouted Sasuke happily as the little boy picked up another rag and one of Itachi's shuriken.

* * *

"Niisan!" screamed Sasuke, "Come and push me!"

Itachi walked over to where his younger brother sat on the swings and got behind him. Itachi began to push Sasuke. The younger Uchiha yelled for Itachi to push him higher and Itachi obliged. When Sasuke got tired of swinging, he shouted again, this time pointing at the sandbox. In the sandbox were two other children, a blonde boy and a pink headed girl. Both children looked to be Sasuke's age.

"Look, Niisan! It's Naruto and Sakura!"

Sasuke jumped off the still moving swing and ran over to the sandbox. Itachi followed behind Sasuke at a slower pace. Once Itachi got to the sandbox, he found Sasuke and the blonde boy throwing sand at each other. The pink headed girl now was standing outside the sandbox, a foot or two away from the commotion, a doll hanging limply from her small hand. Itachi noticed that the doll wore a chuunin uniform and had stringy black hair.

"Sasuke-kun! Naruto-kun!" she shouted, "I want to play too!"

Apparently, neither Sasuke nor his blonde-headed friend heard a word the small girl said. She began to tear up, but before she could run from the sandbox area, Itachi made his way to her and spoke.

"I'll play with you."

The girl looked up at the older boy, wiping her tears with her free arm. She sniffed.

"Okay."

Itachi took the girl's free hand and together they walked over to the swings.

"Will you push me?" the little girl asked meekly as she took a seat on one of the lower swings. Itachi smiled back at her and nodded. The Uchiha began to push the pink- headed girl.

"What's your name?" the girl asked.

"Itachi," replied the older boy, "I'm Sasuke's older brother. What's your name?"

"Sakura," replied the girl, "Are you at the academy too?"

Itachi shook his head.

"No, I graduated from the academy about two years ago. I'm actually a jounin now."

"Wow! Really? How old are you?" asked Sakura excitedly.

"I just turned 13 years old last week. And how old are you?"

"Eight years old."

"So, you are older than Sasuke," continued Itachi as he continued to push Sakura gently in the swing, "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

Sakura shook her head.

"No, I'm an only child, Itachi. Do you have any other brothers and sisters?"

"Nope," replied Itachi, "It's just me and Sasuke.

"I wish I had a brother, or even a sister!"

"They're alright, but they can be also annoying, especially if they are younger."

Sakura giggled.

"Sasuke can be annoying, especially when he is around Naruto," said Sakura, "They always argue in class."

Before Sakura could talk more, she and Itachi heard Sasuke yell.

"Niisan! Where are you?"

Sasuke ran toward where Itachi and Sakura were, pulling Naruto in tow.

"Niisan! Let's go get ramen!" shouted Sasuke.

"Ramen?" asked Itachi. Both little boys nodded in reply. Itachi looked to Sakura.

"Do you want to come along, Sakura-chan?"

"I don't have any money," whispered Sakura. Itachi leaned in and spoke just low enough for Sakura to hear.

"I'll pay for you," said Itachi, "Don't worry about it."

Itachi noticed Sakura had turned a slight shade of red.

"Thank you, Itachi-san."

Itachi helped Sakura off the swing. She took Itachi's hand and together they followed Sasuke and Naruto out of the park.

"Please, Sakura-chan, just call me Itachi-kun."

* * *

After telling Sasuke his usual bedtime story, Itachi made his way toward his bedroom on the other end of the hallway. On the way there, Itachi passed his father's study. It was there that Itachi overheard his parents talking. The Uchiha stopped briefly to hear.

"Itachi's mission is next week, Mikoto. The elders are keeping a close eye on him."

"What do you mean, Fugaku?"

"Somehow, Itachi managed to get a leadership role on this mission. The members of his team are going to rate him on his skills. The clan elders, minus myself, are going to review those ratings. Those reports are going to determine the direction of Itachi's future."

"Which means that Itachi has the potential of becoming an elder?"

"Even better, Mikoto! Itachi might even become the next clan head!" replied Fugaku, "The elders cannot and will not accept failure from the first prodigy in the Uchiha clan since Madara Uchiha himself. The elders also know that I will not approve of anyone becoming clan head but my own sons. It places Itachi in a bind, but I know that he will pull through."

"Itachi is only 13 years old, Fugaku!" shouted Mikoto, "He is too young for all of this!"

Itachi flinched at the sound of a fist slamming on top of a tabletop. Silence fell between the two adults before Fugaku spoke in a low tone.

"How do you dare raise your voice to me?"

"You cannot do this to your son, Fugaku. He might be a prodigy, but he is still a child. He barely understands this mission he has been assigned. What makes you think that the clan will accept a 13- year- old boy?"

Fugaku remained silent. Itachi rested his back against the wall, quietly sliding downward to sit on the floor.

"Mikoto, Itachi is what is best for this clan."

* * *

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura looked up from her homework and ran to her window when she recognized the voice. She quickly opened her bedroom window and poked her head out. Standing in front of Sakura's house, in the street, was Itachi. The boy looked up at Sakura, smiling and waving.

"Itachi-kun!" screamed Sakura, "You're back!"

"My mission didn't take as long as I thought it would!" replied Itachi, "Can you come out and play?"

"Let me ask Mommy first!"

Minutes later, Itachi saw Sakura walk out her front door, her ninja doll in hand.

"Mommy wants me home by five for dinner," said Sakura, "She said that it was alright to go play until then."

Itachi took the little girl's free hand and they began walking down the street toward the academy playground.

"I'll make sure you're home by that time. My mother wants me home by that time, too."

Itachi and Sakura continued down the street, Sakura's doll swinging with each step. Once they arrived at the playground, Itachi let go of Sakura's hand. Sakura handed her doll to Itachi and ran toward a small plot of flowers. Itachi followed her, Sakura's doll hanging loosely in his grasp.

"Do you know what I want to be when I grow up, Itachi-kun?" asked Sakura as she sat down on the grass.

"What?" asked Itachi, taking a seat next to Sakura.

"Well, Naruto wants to be Hokage. He always talks about being Hokage. Sasuke wants to be in the ANBU, just like you! But me, you know what I want to be?"

Itachi shook his head.

"I want to be a beautiful kunoichi when I grow up!" shouted Sakura.

"That shouldn't take too long, Sakura-chan," replied Itachi, "You're well on your way."

Itachi noticed a faint blush forming on the little pink headed girl's face. Sakura got to her knees and crawled over to Itachi, sitting on his lap.

"And do you know what else I want to do when I grow up?" asked Sakura.

"What?" asked Itachi.

"I want to marry you when I grow up, Itachi-kun!"

Itachi stared at Sakura in surprise.

"Really?" asked Itachi. Sakura nodded.

Itachi placed Sakura's doll upon her lap and held out his pinky finger.

"Well then, let's promise that one day when you're old enough, we'll get married," said Itachi, "Okay, Sakura-chan?"

Sakura smiled widely. She held out her pinky and connected it together with Itachi.

"Promise, Itachi-kun?"

"Promise, Sakura-chan."

* * *

"The Uchiha have been nothing but a problem from the beginning, Sarutobi!" shouted an elderly man dressed in a blue kimono, "You of all people should know that!"

"Mizuki is right, Sarutobi," agreed an elderly woman a bright flowered kimono, "The Uchiha clan has a lengthy history of problems with the village. If something is not done quickly, civil war could break out within a year!"

"Can you back up these accusations against the Uchiha, Kaede?" asked the Third Hokage.

The elderly man slammed a fist atop of the Third Hokage's desk.

"Since you became Hokage, you have done nothing but deny the problem, hoping it would eventually solve itself. It has done nothing by intensify, especially within the last seven years since you returned! Surely, there was enough reason why the Uchiha reside in their own district. They cannot be trusted!"

"The Hyuuga clan also reside in their own district, Mizuki," replied the Hokage, "Can they not be trusted either?"

"This isn't about the Hyuuga, Sarutobi," shouted Mizuki, "This is about Fugaku Uchiha!"

"So, you have singled out an individual now? Very amusing," replied Sarutobi, "What did Fugaku do now? Arrest your grandson for indecent exposure and public intoxication?"

"Hokage-sama, outside sources state that the Uchiha clan head seeks a coup. The clan want to overthrow the current leadership of this village and replace it with one of their own elders," said Kaede.

"Again, Kaede, what proof can you present me? Fugaku Uchiha has been one of the better leaders of the Uchiha clan since his grandfather's time. I cannot imagine him doing such a thing myself."

"Sarutobi," said Mizuki, "the elders of the village are going to give you an ultimatum. You can either take care of the situation itself or we will take care of it.

The Third Hokage carefully rose from his seat, eyeing both Mizuki and Kaede.

"Very well, Mizuki. Make the decision then."

* * *

_It was a mission,_ thought Itachi as he ran as quickly as his legs could possibly carry him.

_It was only a mission…_

_If it were only a mission, then why were two ANBU chasing after him?_

At that point, there was nothing that Itachi could do. His path was now set before him. He had taken innocent blood. The prodigy of the Uchiha clan, along with his sensei, had shed blood…all for the sake of power. The stench was overwhelming.

His path was now tainted because of his transgressions. Itachi killed everyone he had ever cared about, everyone except two people.

Sasuke's path was now set before him. The only survivor of the massacre would never be the same boy he once was. Revenge now rested on Sasuke's shoulders. He would forever hold a grudge against Itachi, all without knowing the truth.

Itachi would die before the truth would see the light of day. That was certain.

Then, there was the person that would forever remain in Itachi's heart. She had somehow found herself there before Itachi realized it. It broke his heart that he would never see her grow up or that could never tell her how he truly felt. As Itachi continued running, he made a vow to himself.

_I'll return one day for you, Sakura-chan…_

_Forever cursed…forever an anathema…_


End file.
